Let non-political citizens’ body give a draft, says Narayana Murthy

A panel of eminent “non-political” citizens should be asked to collate all suggestions on the Lokpal Bill and submit a comprehensive draft to the Standing Committee, Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy has suggested.

The panel should be given about 3 months to prepare a draft Bill after taking everyone into confidence, Narayana Murthy said in an interview to The Indian Express Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta for NDTV 24x7’s Walk the Talk programme. This, he said, might lead to the resolution of the crisis that otherwise threatens to erode the authority and dignity of our Parliament.

“It is extremely important that we preserve the dignity of Parliament... that nobody is able to compromise the power of Parliament. The day we do it, our democracy is finished. I only wish that all the well-meaning people that are actors in this drama come out and say let’s select a group which is acceptable to the government as well as Annaji’s team and let these people take three months, let them hold lots of discussions, let them come out with a Lokpal Bill that is acceptable to all the parties. Then it can be submitted to the Standing Committee. I don’t think this can be done in half a day or a day when that respected old man (Hazare) is fasting, when his health is not good,” Narayana Murthy said.

He said that a group of 9 or 11 people would be able to do this job, and he would be willing to be part of such a committee if asked.

“As long as they are not politicians, as long as they are highly respected by the civil society, as long as both Anna team and the government have a hand in picking these 11 people, I am very positive we will come out with a good Lokpal draft for the Standing Committee,” he said.

There ought to be more civility in the Team Anna-government discourse, Narayana Murthy said. “I think the most important thing is that we have to create an environment of dignity, mutual respect and harmony. We have to use parliamentary words. We cannot use words that communicate that one part is superior to the other.

“Second, there will have to be give and take. As long as the compromise is legal and ethical, as long as it will lead to a better scheme for combating corruption, we should accept it,” he said.

Narayana Murthy urged the civil society activists not to do anything to undermine the supremacy of Parliament. “Peaceful protest is fine. We all respect it. But parliamentary democracy requires that Parliament is supreme. The Standing Committee has a role to play,” he said.